Opt Out Day: Saying no to naked airport scans

Many travelers who pass through the nation’s overcrowded airports as the holiday season begins are going to be subjected to a new kind of security procedure. They’ll be asked to walk into a machine that will allow a Transportation Security Administration employee to see what they look like naked.

The idea, say TSA officials, is to look for hidden weapons or explosives. But the promoter of National Opt Out Day says it’s just “security theater,” and he’s urging a rebellion.

At OptOutDay.com, the site operator ( identified as Brian Sodegren) writes about the choice travelers have when confronted with a full-body scan: Either consent to being seen naked by a TSA worker in a nearby room, or having a thorough pat-down in which genital areas are probed.

It’s the day ordinary citizens stand up for their rights, stand up for liberty, and protest the federal government’s desire to virtually strip us naked or submit to an “enhanced pat down” that touches people’s breasts and genitals. You should never have to explain to your children, “Remember that no stranger can touch or see your private area, unless it’s a government employee, then it’s OK.”

Opt Out Day is Nov. 24, the day before Thanksgiving, and it involves choosing the pat-down rather than the body scanner. A physical search takes a lot more time than the scan, and the idea is to cause long delays and send a message to the feds. Given that this is one of the busiest travel days of the year, enough folks opting out are sure to cause problems.

The site features videos that show exactly what TSA officials see when you step inside one of their machines. And yes, the video below includes x-ray nakedness, so click only if such things don’t offend you.